ABOUT SARAH

Sarah is a freelance journalist with many years' experience writing about fashion and retail and working with Colin McDowell. She currently divides her time between London and Dublin, looking out for interesting boutiques, road-testing beauty products and concluding that there's no such thing as a 'must-have'. So you won't find any must-haves here. What you'll find instead is an independent take on style and fashion, a reminder that style exists beyond London (as well as in London, natch) and a hymn to the importance of great coffee while shopping.

Tuesday, 3 August 2010

Dublin calling

Moving house is always a funny thing. But in less than a week we’re moving not only to a new house but also to a new country – Ireland – which feels a bit of a big one. It feels like we’re about to jump off a cliff. In a good way.

I am really excited about living right next to the sea; there is a Martello tower and a swimming club directly in front of the (rented, rambling) house, and I’m intending to join the hardy old ladies who swim there daily whatever the weather (though in an industrial-strength wetsuit rather than a one-piece and a flowery hat).

Naturally, I have checked out the café situation as a matter of urgency, and it looks very healthy: I am looking forward to hunting out the Bald Barista, who reputedly makes the best coffee in Dublin (according to Time Out), and the Cake Café in Camden Street, which sounds more than promising. And of course there’s always the classic Bewleys, and Café Cagliostro over the bridge, and a clutch of good spots round Smock Alley...

Not that good coffee is the only consideration in moving to a new country – but you have to start somewhere….